Current Issues

It feels very strange to say that I have been a town councillor for 10 years, it almost doesn’t seem possible, but I have thoroughly enjoyed every second. I appreciate the opportunity to reintroduce myself and talk about my passions as a Town Councillor.

Being Great Torrington born and bred, I love our town and as soon as I was old enough, I knew I wanted to do my bit to get involved and keep our town great, so the election year after my 18th birthday, I stood for a seat on the Town Council. I quickly joined the environment committee and that is where a lot of my interests still lie. I introduced the Town Tidy initiative to get our town ready for Mayfair each year and, after a year off having my daughter Edie, I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of council work, and particularly our Town Tidy events.

Working locally, I like that people feel they can approach me and I will strive to help where I can, whether that be dealing with the issue myself or contacting the correct authority that can. I am very proud to serve our town and to have served two terms as Mayor, even if most of my term was during Covid. At that time, our town pulled together in the most amazing way and, despite not having a ‘normal’ year, seeing how we all came together and supported one another was one of the highlights of my term in office! I do hope to take up the role again at some point… just maybe when Edie is a little bit older!

In short, we have such a special town, and I look forward to continuing to work with the rest of our council team to keep it great!

Great Torrington Town Council and the Torrington Branch of the Royal British Legion would like to extend a big thank you to all community groups and everyone who attended the Remembrance parade and service held on Sunday November 9th 2025, just over £335 was raised from the collection buckets on the day.

We would also like to thank everyone who supported the Council in the initiative to recycle the poppy wreaths for a second-year running; by cleaning and re-using a total of 53 wreaths over the course of the last two years, we have saved 8.63kg of plastic from going to landfill.  This year, the initiative raised just under £620 for the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal which was a fantastic sum.

Unfortunately, now that the wreaths have been used for 3 years in a row, they are not suitable for re-use next year.  We are, however, keen to hear from any local community groups who might be interested in using the wreaths for an art project to be displayed next year at Remembrance.  If you think this is something you might be interested in, please contact the Town Council on 01805 626135 or [email protected].

Great Torrington Town Council will continue to liaise with the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal to highlight the issue of single use plastic.

Thank you also to everyone who attended the short service at the War Memorial at 11am on Armistice Day, 11th November 2025.

We get several calls at Great Torrington Town Council office on a regular basis asking about the management of hedges, particularly those that border pavements and or public footpaths or lanes.

It is a common misconception that these hedgerows will be managed by one of the local authorities, however it is in fact the homeowner’s responsibility to maintain these hedges, and if they become overgrown resulting in obstruction, the homeowner may receive a letter from Devon County Council in accordance with The Highways Act 1980.

For further information on this issue please visit this link on the Devon County Council website: https://www.devon.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/maintaining-roads/trees-and-vegetation-2/overgrown-vegetation/

If you would like to know more and are unable to access the website, do pop into our offices, upstairs at Castle Hill and we will access the information for you. Or give us a call on 01805 626135.

I was elected to Great Torrington Town Council in 1997 and quickly got involved in local issues, the most controversial being the awful smell from the local rendering factory. I was chair of the Residents Association on Dartington Fields at that time, and with their backing and the late Peter Copp we persuaded the District Council to employ a lawyer to take the problem to the High Court. We won fresh air for Torrington, which we all now enjoy in our Town.
I have a keen interest in planning issues, and I still view all the local applications to date keeping an eye on how they affect our Town.

In 1999 I became a District Councillor and was Chair of TDC for 4 years and enjoyed sitting on the Planning Committee. I served a total of 25 years with TDC.

Housing and local needs is another area of interest, and I was involved in the transfer
of Torridge Housing to Westward Housing Association, bringing properties up to standard, whilst also recognising the need for affordable homes.

My greatest honour was being awarded Freewoman of Great Torrington by our Council in
March 2023, the award is now framed and has pride of place on my wall along with some special photos of my times as Mayor.
Torrington Town Council is certainly a forward-looking Council, exploring how to improve services and the well-being of all our residents for the future.
I have so far completed 28 years as a town councillor, which has gone by in-a-flash, but I’ve enjoyed every minute.